Seeking the Cold
by swirlheart
Summary: Hitsugaya sleepwalks? What happens? Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

**Seeking the Cold**: Hitsugaya sleepwalks? What happens?

I don't own Bleach!

Another hot night at the Soul Society. Hitsugaya hated the heat. He absolutely couldn't stand it. He preferred it cold. Ice cold if at all possible. The heat made him even more irritable. Not only that, but it also did weird things to him without even realizing it…

Rangiku made her way back to her room after using the bathroom down the hall. She mopped the sweat from her brow and moaned. This heat was almost unbearable. Her gorgeous hair was all frizzy and slimy. Gross! And in such terrible heat, it was impossible for her to dress accordingly. Sure, at night she could always sleep naked but then her sweaty hair would stick to her clammy back making it very uncomfortable. Of course, her clothes would also stick to her, so it didn't really make that much of a difference. This heat was bad!

She wrapped her hair around her hand and held it off of her neck. "Oh, this heat! It must be 112 in the shade!" She stopped halfway down the hall, hearing some strange noise coming from the kitchen. Actually, it was more of a lounge than anything else. Nonetheless, she peeked inside.

The room was dark. Yet, in a dark corner of the room, she could see a small silhouette. She moved closer. Tip-toeing further into the room, she recognized who it was by his trademark white hair.

Hitsugaya was sitting at one of the tables slurping down some ice cream. He lifted the steel spoon to his mouth and wrapped his lips around the frozen treat. "Mmm… Cold..!"

Rangiku gave a small sigh and sat down across from him. "Oh, Captain… You startled me. I didn't expect you to be out here at this hour."

He plunged the spoon back down into the ice cream bowl and lifted it back up to his mouth. His mouth closed around it. He let out a sigh of pleasure. "Mmm… Cold…"

Rangiku frowned. "Captain, are you even listening to me?"

He gave no answer. Instead, he kept the spoon in his mouth, allowing the ice cream to melt on his tongue. He kept his eyes shut and sucked on the spoon. Then he pulled the spoon from his mouth and went back for more.

"Captain?"

Ignoring her, Hitsugaya took another spoonful of delicious ice cream and brought it to his lips. When that mouth full was finished, he went back for more. But Rangiku wouldn't allow it. She gently tugged the bowl from his fingers and back towards her side of the table. Hitsugaya brought his spoon down on nothing but air. He whined. He raised his spoon and tried again. Nothing. He opened his eyes slowly and looked down. The bowl was gone. No ice cream. He whined and glanced up. He spotted the bowl on the other side of the table in front of Rangiku.

"Cold…" he whimpered and reached for it. Something was wrong. His movements were too sluggish and lazy. His limp arm reached forward and he grasped the bowl in his slack grip. He slowly dragged it back over to his side of the table and raised his spoon again. "… Cold…"

Rangiku was so confused. Something was definitely wrong with him. She waved a hand in front of his face. She got no answer. She called to him again. "Captain?"

Spoon still between his teeth, Hitsugaya allowed his eyes to droop. He let out a small snore.

"Captain, are you sleepwalking?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I will continue this, but mostly because I've looked and there are, like, no sleepwalking Hitsugaya fanfics out there! I'm sorry, but I had to write this because of that fact.

Come on people, a sleepwalking Hitsugaya? How could you NOT write one?!

Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

Rangiku watched as Hitsugaya finished the soupy remains of the melted ice cream. He held the bowl to his forehead and let out a deep sigh. "Ah…. Cold…"

This was quite a sight for the lieutenant. She had never seen her captain sleepwalk before. Or anyone else for that matter. It was very interesting. She couldn't help but wonder if he was always like this when he sleepwalked.

He lowered the bowl and frowned. "Cold…" He stood up clumsily from the table and blindly made his way over to the other side of the room. Rangiku watched him. Eyes still closed, Hitsugaya wondered with his arms outstretched like a zombie over to the icebox on the other side of the room. He ran his hands over the door. "Cold." He wrapped his fingers around the handle and pulled the door open. The chilly air was released and washed over him like a pleasant ocean breeze. "Ah… Cold." He stuck his head inside. The cold icy air felt so good on his hot face.

Rangiku smiled. _Poor Hitsugaya… He must be so hot. Maybe that's why he's acting this way. He must be trying to find some way to cool himself down. Subconsciously, of course…_

Hitsugaya basked in the cold air for a while more. It felt so good. But it wasn't enough. He climbed up and pulled himself inside.

Rangiku stood up and hurried over to him. "No, Captain! Don't do that!" She grabbed him and pulled him out of the icebox. "You can't do that."

Hitsugaya struggled weakly against her grasp. He was much weaker when he was asleep… He moaned sleepily and batted her away. "No… Too hot… Want cold…" he mumbled drowsily.

Rangiku pulled him away from the icebox. "I can't let you go inside that thing."

Still, he struggled. He whined and reached for the desired object. "… Cold…"

She sat him down in a chair and told him to stay put. Yeah, right. There was no chance of that happening. He got up again and stumbled over to the icebox once more. "Cold…" He reached the icebox and climbed inside once again. He sat in the middle of it and slumped against the frost-covered back. "Cold."

Rangiku sighed. Well, at least the door wasn't shut. She didn't want him getting locked inside of that thing. As long as the door was open it should be alright.

She sat with him for a few minutes more. It seemed that he had fallen into a deeper sleep again. He wasn't moving except for the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest with each soft, deep breath he took and the occasional snore that fell from his slightly parted lips. A smile found its way onto her lips. He was so cute.

But he couldn't stay here. She had to get him back to his room. He seemed to be asleep so now seemed like the best time to do it. She got up and walked over to the icebox. She gently picked him up and carried him back to his room.

The door to his room was still open so it was easy to get inside. Inside, there were four fans all pointed directly at his bed. They were all set on high causing them to whirl and roar. Rangiku had to wonder how anyone could sleep with all that noise. She carried him over to the bed and prepared to tuck him in. The mattress had a moist impression of Hitsugaya's sweaty outline splayed out in the middle. That poor Hitsugaya. He must have been overheating even with all these fans facing the bed. Rangiku fluffed up his pillow and set him down on the bed. She patted his head and left the room.

A few minutes later, he was at it again. Hitsugaya sat up in bed and moaned loudly. "Too hot..!" Without even looking as to where he was going, Hitsugaya climbed out of bed and made for the door. He had to find something to cool him off. This heat was unbearable.

He walked toward the exit with his eyes still closed and bumped into the closed door. He staggered backwards and opened his eyes ever so slightly. "Oh…" He turned the knob and opened the door. He closed his eyes again; they were far too heavy to keep open for so long. With a yawn, he lumbered down the hall, seeking the cold.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Please review! XD


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

Hitsugaya ran his hand along the wall as he walked down the long hallway. It seemed endless. He turned a corner, down several staircases and a few more hallways. Of course, he had no idea where he was going. He hadn't opened his eyes since he left the room. He was just wondering the halls in his zombie-like state.

He traveled further down another corridor and stopped. It seemed just a little cooler down this way for some reason. Even if the drop in temperature was only by a few degrees, it was still quite refreshing. Loving the sensation, Hitsugaya headed in the direction the cool air was coming from. Down yet another long corridor, he kept his hand on the wall at all times. It was his only guide as to where he was. His hand trailed over the smooth, hard surface of the wall. There came a slight bump and them a dip.

He stopped. Where did the wall go? He slowly opened his eyes and looked straight ahead.

So that's what the problem was. The wall had ended. Hitsugaya was standing in front of a door. The bump was the door frame and the dip must have been where the threshold stood. Yes, that made sense. That was where the wall ended and where the door began.

He placed his hand on the door. It felt cold.

"Cold…"

He turned the knob and walked inside. The room was dark and small. Only big enough to hold on person comfortably. It was too dark to see clearly, but Hitsugaya could make out something on the other side of the room. It was a bed. It looked comfy.

Suddenly, Hitsugaya realized just how weak his body felt. It was numb and heavy. And that bed sure did look inviting. Perhaps, he should…

Without even thinking, Hitsugaya lumbered over to the bed and climbed in. It was soft. It felt nice. This room was a little cooler than his own. It felt much better. Yes, much more comfortable. He flopped down on the bed and rested his head on the pillow. Now, that felt good. He made himself comfortable and inhaled the foreign aroma. It smelled of sweat, but then again, so did everything when it was this hot. But the bed also held a very familiar scent to it. Where did he know it from? But he was far too tired to think about that now. The strangely familiar scent put him at ease and helped to lull him back to sleep.

No sooner had that happed did the bed's occupant awaken and shoot up in bed. She knew there was someone in bed with her. She could feel their presence. She looked down and saw a very familiar head of white hair.

"Little Shiro?" Momo shifted herself to get a better look in the dark. "What in the world are you doing here?"

He didn't move.

She gave him a small shake. "Little Shiro?"

Still, he didn't budge.

She shook harder. "Little Shiro? Come on, wake up."

He gave a sleepy moan. "Mmun…" She shook him again and this time it appeared to have worked. He rolled over and faced her. He blinked and sat up. "Bed-wetter?"

She forced a grin. "What are you doing in my bed, Little Shiro? Do you have any idea what time it is?"

Hitsugaya looked around. "Where are they?"

Momo cocked her head. "Where are what?"

Hitsugaya pointed in some random direction. "The bubbles."

"Bubbles?"

He nodded. "Mmm… Bubbles. They were here a second ago. Where are they?"

She didn't answer. He wasn't making any sense.

He shifted and looked around the room. "Would they know?" He pointed to the ceiling. Nothing was there.

"Uh…" Then she got a good look at his face. His eyes were open, but they weren't his own. They were glazed and unfocused, foggy with sleep. That's when she understood what was going on. He was _sleepwalking_. "Oh. Them? Uh…" She decided to play along. "No. They wouldn't know."

Hitsugaya frowned. "Where bubbles?"

"Uh… Don't worry. They… They're where they belong now. It's ok."

Hitsugaya looked back at her. "Oh. Ok. That's good."

She placed a hand on his shoulder. "You've got to get some sleep, Little Shiro."

He whined and pushed her away gently. "Not now. Too much work to do."

She had to get tough. "Little Shiro, if you don't lay back down and go to sleep, you won't be allowed to do any work and the bubbles will never come back. Understand?"

Hitsugaya paused as if contemplating this. With a yawn, he complied. "… Ok…" He started to lay back down. "Is it sleepy-time now?"

"Uh… Yes. Yes, it is." She tucked him into her bed. "Now go back to sleep."

He buried his face in the pillow and hugged her arm close. "Ok…" With that, he was fast asleep once again, holder her arm in his grip.

Momo ran her fingers through his snowy hair and smiled. "You'd think I'd be used to this by now…"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

XD

What does Momo know that no one else knows?

Read and find out what happens next!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

The next morning, Hitsugaya was back to signing paperwork as if nothing had happened. Of course, he didn't think that anything had happened. As far as he knew, he slept all through the night. Uncomfortable, but asleep nonetheless. Well, that was only half true. He was asleep, but he wasn't in bed all night. But he didn't seem to remember that fact at all. In fact, he didn't remember anything at all! Why would he? He was asleep!

That night, Momo had the difficult task of carrying Hitsugaya all the way back to his room on the other side of the building. That way, he would wake up in his own bed and not suspect anything. And that's exactly what happened. When he woke up, he was in his own bed.

Rangiku poked her head into the room to watch her captain signing paperwork at his desk. She studied him carefully. She had never seen him act so strangely before last night.

Feeling her stare, he looked up. "What?"

She jumped. "What?!"

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like I'm going to drop dead at any second."

She shifted her eyes away.

"What do you want?"

"Uh…" Should she tell him? How should she put it? "Uh, Captain? How are you feeling?"

Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow. That was a rather random question. "Fine, I guess. Why?"

"Just wondering." She slid into the room and over to his desk. She stood directly behind him and studied him closely.

Hitsugaya could feel her breath on his neck. He slammed the pen down. "What do you want?!"

She scrambled backwards. "Nothing!"

He shot her a look and returned to his work. But she was still standing there, watching him.

"So… How did you sleep last night?"

Hitsugaya answered without turning around. "Laboriously."

"Uh-huh. Have any… uh… Interesting dreams?"

He turned to face her. "What's this about?"

"What?"

"Asking me these things. What's going on?"

"I was just wondering, Captain! I'm not up to anything!"

He raised his brow.

"Really!" But this summed everything up for her. He didn't remember _anything_ from last night. How strange. Did this mean that he wouldn't do it again?

~*~*~

Late that night, Rangiku awoke to a strange noise outside her door. She got out of her sweat-soaked bed and opened the door. She looked in front, to the side, up, down, and then to the other side. There, sitting on the floor, was Hitsugaya. He had a black marker in hand and seemed to be…

"Captain, what are you doing?!" she hissed.

"… Paperwork…" he mumbled. He moved his arm up and down, drawing on the white walls with the marker. Rangiku looked at the wall. None of it made any sense at all. A lot of it wasn't even words! Just a whole bunch of scribbles. She tried to pull the marker from his hand. "No..! Have to finish… Gotta get it done…"

"Captain, please snap out of it. That's not paper, it's a wall! Please give me the marker."

He ignored her and continued to write. She grabbed his hand and pried the marker from his weak grip. He whined and reached for it again. "No… Finish paperwork…"

"Captain, please..!"

Hitsugaya yawned and crawled between her legs and down the hall. For a sleepwalker, he was pretty fast. Rangiku hurried after him. He turned a corner. She followed him. Now he was up on his own two feet and running away from her. Running? Sleepwalkers could run?! What was he doing?

She chased after him. Apparently, he didn't want to be caught. He made a fast left and went down a few staircases. He ran down a few more hallways and down another flight of stairs. Rangiku struggled to keep up with him. He was fast! He made another sharp turn and disappeared around a corner. When she made the same turn, she realized something. To her horror, the corridor was empty. He had vanished.

"Hitsugaya!" she called in a loud whisper. "Please, come out! Where are you? Hitsugaya?!"

A door on her right swung open. "What's going on out here?"

Rangiku turned, surprised. There stood Momo, shielding herself from view with the door. Only her head and shoulder were visible. "Oh, Momo! I'm sorry to disturb you at this hour but I have a bit of a problem."

"Oh? Do you need help?"

"Well, now that you mention it…" Rangiku filled her in on what had happened so far. "… And now I have no idea where he is. He just disappeared! Have you heard him or seen him at all?"

"No. The door was shut."

"Oh, that's right."

"But, wait. Did you say that Little Shiro was sleepwalking again?"

"Ye- Wait. What do you mean again?"

"Well, I saw him last night."

"Oh."

"And I had a feeling he'd do it again like always."

"Always? You mean he's done this before?"

"Well, yeah. Whenever it's hot outside like it's been so far, he starts sleepwalking. I'm not sure why. It's a habit of his, I guess. But he used to do this all the time in the summer when we were kids."

"Really? But, why does he do it?"

Momo shrugged. "I'm not sure why. I think it's just a reaction to the heat or something like that. Usually when he sleepwalks, he goes off trying to find something to cool himself down. Once I found him sitting in a pond outside our house. He stayed there all night cooling off. He finally came back in at about sunrise."

"How do you snap him out of it?"

"You don't. He's just asleep and walking around. And you should never wake a sleepwalker."

"Then how do you get him to stop?"

Momo thought for a moment. "Well… Usually what I do is try to lure him back to his own bed. Basically, he'll go back to sleep if he's comfortable and calm."

"But he's already asleep. You know, 'sleep' walker?"

"I mean in a deeper more sound sleep, when he's not up and walking around."

"Oh. Well, why didn't you say so?" Rangiku looked back around the hall. "So can you help me out? I need to find him fast."

Momo stepped out into the hall wearing a short white nightdress. "Sure. We have to before he tries something dangerous."

Rangiku stopped her. "Dangerous? What do you mean?"

"Well, technically, sleepwalkers are still asleep which means that they still dream. That means that Little Shiro is still dreaming." Seeing the confused expression on Rangiku's face, she clarified. "It means that he'll act out his dreams while he's sleepwalking."

She blinked. "Is that bad?"

Momo nodded. "Yes, it could be. What if he has a dream where he thinks he can fly? He'll try jumping off a roof somewhere!"

She turned pale. "We need to find him now!"

They both tore down the hallway, searching for the lost sleepwalker.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

Up and down corridor after corridor. Room after room… No sign of Hitsugaya anywhere. Where could he be? Rangiku checked the icebox. Thankfully he wasn't inside. But this only meant that their search would continue.

Rangiku turned down another hallway and almost ran into Momo on her way back.

"Well?"

She shook her head. "He's not down this way. And he's not down there, either. I already looked."

Rangiku looked wildly around. "Where could he be?! I hope he's not in any danger!"

"Me, too…"

Then a thought occurred to Rangiku. "Hey, what if we shouted his name really loudly so he'll wake up?"

"But we shouldn't wake him up while he's sleepwalking. And besides, when he's sleepwalking, he's dead asleep. He doesn't usually wake up no matter what you put him through. That's why cold water never bothered him."

Rangiku sighed. "Poor Hitsugaya… And he's done this since he was a kid?"

She nodded.

"Jeez… How did he react when you told him?"

"I didn't."

Did she hear her right? "What was that?"

"I never told him. First of all, he would deny the whole thing since he doesn't remember any of it. Second of all, it would be far too troublesome. I just always figured that it would be best if he didn't know."

Before Rangiku could say anything, they heard a small noise coming from down the hall.

"Captain!"

They hurried to find an open door leading to the outside landing which wrapped around the side of the building. They looked to the left. Nothing but an empty porch. But when they looked right, they saw him.

There stood Hitsugaya, with his eyes closed tight and a bit of drool running down his chin. He was still sleepwalking!

And because of this fact, everything to him was a dream. His dream world and reality had blended together; just as Momo had warned. Right now, Hitsugaya truly believed that he was still dreaming, which he was, but had no idea that his body had moved from the safety of his bed. He was asleep and everything around him was a part of that dream he was having at that moment. And right now, that guardrail in front of him looked just like a diving board. And that hard pathway below was a big swimming pool.

A swimming pool. That seemed like a good way to cool off. He climbed up onto the guardrail and prepared to spring.

"NO!" The girls realized what he was doing and made a mad dash for him. But he was already bending his knees. He was going to jump off the nine story building and hit the ground head-first. There was no way they would reach him in time!

"Captain, please don't jump!"

He stretched out his arms and got ready to dive.

"Little Shiro! Do you want the last slice of watermelon?!"

That got his attention. He stopped, legs still bent and looked in Momo's direction. "Watermelon..?"

She nodded. "That's right. Better hurry before it's all gone."

Rangiku looked around. "But there's no-"

"Shh!" Momo stopped her. "I'm trying dream logic. I learned that after a while of dealing with this." She waved Hitsugaya over. "Come on, Little Shiro. This way."

He jumped down from his perch and hurried over to her. "Watermelon?"

She patted his head. "Yes, that's right. Come inside and you can have some."

He followed her without a word, holding her hand. Once inside, they closed the door and tried to lead him back to his room. He wouldn't go. He demanded his watermelon.

"Ok. Here." Momo handed him an imaginary watermelon.

Hitsugaya took the conjured up fruit in his outstretched hands. He frowned. "Not watermelon…"

"He's smart."

"Wa'melon…" he slurred sleepily.

"Ok, we'll get it for you." Momo waved Rangiku over and started mouthing commands to her. After a while Rangiku got the message and led Hitsugaya into the kitchen down the hall. There, they sat him down and got him some watermelon.

As he ate, they noticed how slowly he was moving and sluggish he was. He was exhausted. His body knew it. He rocked slowly back and forth as he tried to finish his watermelon. He started to tip over sideways, but Momo caught him with ease.

"Little Shiro, time for bed."

He moaned and shook his head. "No..! No bed… Melon…"

"It's almost gone. When you finish, you've gotta get to bed. Understand?"

He let out a yawn and nodded his flaccid head up and down.

They managed to get him back to bed and closed the door after tucking him in. Momo turned to the wall.

"What happened here?"

Rangiku frowned. "He did that thinking it was paperwork…"

Momo eyeballed the wall a little longer. Then she spotted something that made her giggle.

"What?"

She pointed.

There was a stick figure drawn on the wall. It had long flowing hair and two large circles just below the head, which were obviously a woman's chest. The two circles were just as big as the stick figure's head. There was a single word written next to the stick person: Matsumoto.

"Ack!" Rangiku screamed and tried to scrub the drawing off with her sleeve. No use. "Momo, get me some water and a sponge, fast!"

"What's the rush? Can't it wait until morning?"

"No! I can't let anyone see this! Quick! I'll wash the rest of the wall tomorrow, I just have to wash this one part off now! Please!"

Momo did as she was told and fetched a bucket of water and a rag as quickly as she could. Rangiku scrubbed furiously at the wall trying to get the drawing off. It was still there.

"Oh, no! Don't tell me it's _permanent_ marker!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

Once again Hitsugaya woke up in a bad mood. It was still blazing hot outside and that alone was enough to put him in a rotten mood. He went straight to his desk to tackle the mountain of paperwork awaiting him. On his way there, he couldn't help but notice Rangiku scrubbing furiously at the wall outside her room. She scrubbed at the graffiti all the while cursing the one responsible. She glanced up once she became aware of Hitsugaya's presence.

They exchanged looks and then Hitsugaya said, "I'm not even going to ask," and went to his office. He sat at his desk and looked at the paperwork before him. He grabbed the first sheet and got started.

_Who would write on the wall like that? _he wondered as he signed the papers. _Who would be childish enough to vandalize the wall like that? _But something was strangely familiar about that odd drawing he saw. Now only a faded circle and some waves remained along with the faded letters: M, a, t, s, u, m, o. It looked like someone was trying to spell something, but…

"Oh, why am I thinking about that now? I've got work to do." He began signing papers again.

It was so hot outside and even hotter inside it seemed. It was so unbearably hot. Hitsugaya mopped the sweat from his face and moved to open his captain's jacket. He stopped himself from doing so as a thought occurred to him. What if Rangiku came in with a camera and saw him and his bare chest? No matter how hot it was, removing his jacket and leaving himself vulnerable was a bad idea. He decided to keep it on. After all, that's why he always slept with his clothes on. No matter how hot it was, he always slept in a tank top and shorts.

Within a few hours, the 'out' pile was now a few inches taller than the 'in' pile. Good, he was more than halfway done. He reached for another document when something unexpected happened. There came a loud crash followed by a hailstorm of glass and a dark blob. Something had just crashed through his window and knocked the finished stack of papers off his desk. He got out of his seat to see what had happened.

The dark figure sat up and brushed the broken shards of glass from his body. "Geez! You didn't have to hit me that hard! We're just practicing! You can hold back a little you know, Ikkaku!"

Said baldy stuck his head through the broken window. "Ha! I don't know the meaning of the word! You should know me by now, Yumichika. I never hold back!"

Hitsugaya growled at both of them. "What the HELL do you think you're doing?!"

They both looked at him. "Training."

"You're supposed to do that on the training grounds. Not near the building!"

"We were on the training grounds!" Yumichika protested. "He just hit me too hard!"

Ikkaku threw back his head and laughed. "Yeah, that was awesome! HAHAHAHA! You shoulda seen it! He went flying through the air, like…" He illustrated the fall with his hand, making it soar overhead and crashing right in front of his chest. "Oh, man! It was awesome! And I didn't even mean to hit him that hard, either! Man, I don't know my own strength! He was all, like… 'Ahh! Oh, my God! Someone help me! Eek! I'm gonna wet my pants!' HAHAHAHAHA! Oh-ho-ho man, that was great!"

"Ikkaku! I didn't sound anything like that! Next time don't hit me with so much force! Save it for the real battle! God!"

"Aw, don't be such a-"

"AHEM!" Hitsugaya cleared his throat loudly to get their attention. He pointed to the floor and shattered window. "What about this?"

Ikkaku shrugged. "What about it?"

"Who's gonna clean it up?"

"Well, it is _your _office…"

"You broke it!"

"Nuh-uh! _He_ did!" He pointed to Yumichika.

"You're the one who hit me!"

Ikkaku grabbed Yumichika by the back of his kimono and dragged him out the broken window. "Come on, we gotta practice more! And don't worry. We'll aim away from here next time!"

Before Hitsugaya could do anything, they were long gone. He looked at the shattered window to the broken glass and papers on the floor and snarled. "Those… idiots..!"

~*~*~

Later that evening while everyone was preparing to retire for bed, Hitsugaya slapped the last bit of paperwork on the finished pile. He got up and left the room. In the hall he ran into the same two idiots from before. Ikkaku greeted him with a smile and wave. Hitsugaya growled back. Yumichika moved to say something but something caught his attention and he turned back.

Once out of earshot, Ikkaku leaned down to Hitsugaya's level and whispered something to him. "Ah, don't worry about him. Yumichika's such a prissy! He's such a big… well, he's a pansy! He can't take a hit so save his life."

Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes. "Why are you telling me this?" he asked warily.

"'Cause of the way he came through your window like that! If he was any kind of a man at all, he would have stopped himself before he hit! I could have."

Hitsugaya rolled his eyes. "If this is your attempt at an apology by insulting someone else and ultimately pinning the blame on them, it sucks."

"Apologize? For what?"

"Oh, never mind…"

Yumichika came hurrying back with Rangiku close behind. Ikkaku quickly added not to tell Yumichika that he had said that and straightened up. "Hey! So what was that about?"

Yumichika held up a bucket and a stained rag. "She wanted me to do something with this…"

Rangiku nodded, rubbing her shoulder. "Well, I don't know where to take it and I was working all day! My body's killing me!"

"Well, who wrote on the wall anyway?"

She feigned innocence with a shrug. "Beats me."

Yumichika tugged on his kimono. "Man, it's going to be another scorcher tonight, I can tell. The sun's down, yet it's still so hot!"

Rangiku glanced nervously over at Hitsugaya. _Does this mean that he'll sleepwalk again tonight?_

It couldn't be helped it seemed. The hotter it got, the more he'd sleepwalk. Wasn't there anything that could be done until the heat wave was over?

That night, Rangiku set up a trap. She strung up some wire just outside her door stretching from one side of the hall to the other. If Hitsugaya came that way tonight, she know about it. He'd trip the wire and wake her up. Then it was just a matter of getting him back to his room.

Piece of cake.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

What happens next? Now what will he do? Any ideas?

Please review!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

Sure enough, in the middle of the night, Rangiku awoke to the sound of someone tripping over the wire in the hallway. She jumped out of bed and opened the door. No one was there, but the broken wire had been pulled down the east wing. So that was where Hitsugaya was headed. She hurried down the hall after him.

Hitsugaya began to open random doors on his way down the long corridor. There must be at least one room that was cold. He really, really needed the cold. He opened one door after another and each one greeted him with a humid blast of air. Could these rooms be even warmer than the hallway itself? It sure seemed that way. How could anyone stand it?

He stopped in his tracks when he heard footsteps coming his way. A shirtless Yumichika was walking towards him. He looked as if he had just returned from the bathroom. He tugged his pants higher up his waist and yawned loudly, rubbing his eyes with his free hand. He stopped when he saw Hitsugaya.

"Oh, evening, Hitsugaya."

The white-haired boy said nothing.

"Ok, sorry… I mean, _Captain_ Hitsugaya."

Hitsugaya focused his foggy half-lidded eyes on Yumichika's form. He knew this man. "Hi."

Yumichika ran a hand through his hair and moaned dramatically. "Oh, wow! Is it hot out tonight or what? Would you just look at me? My beautiful hair is all frizzy! None of those control shampoos are working in such intense heat… My poor hair..!"

Hitsugaya blinked slowly. "He was right. You _are_ a pansy."

Yumichika's face twitched and turned back to Hitsugaya. "Wh- what did you just say?"

"You're a pansy. Just like he said."

"Who said that about me?" His eyes narrowed in anger.

"Ikkaku."

The Soul Reaper's face fell. "I- Ikkaku said that?" he stuttered.

Hitsugaya nodded. "Yeah. He also called you a prissy."

"He called me what?!"

He nodded his head again. "Yup. He said that a real man could hold is own better than you. He said that if you were, you could have stopped yourself from crashing through my window."

Yumichika turned away in anger. His face was red with fury and his fists were shaking. "Ohh, that uncouth, horrid, awful… conniving little..! How could he say that about me? Me?! Some friend he is! And after all I've done for him..?"

Hitsugaya let out a soft snore, but Yumichika was far too busy raging to notice. "But maybe he's right… You do talk about beauty a lot…"

"I can't help it if I'm more cultured than he is!"

"… And your hair…"

"At least I _have_ it!" He stomped his foot on the ground. "Grragh! He's just jealous, that's all! I mean really… Questioning my masculinity? Is he calling me gay?! I most certainly am not! I'll have you know, I've had plenty of girls looking my way… Women love a man with a good sense of taste. And I have that! Ha! He thinks he's the real man?! Please! The only thing he has going for him is that chrome dome he calls a head! Sure, some girls like bald heads, but really! He's far too violent and boorish!"

Hitsugaya blinked again, watching Yumichika's face change a deeper shade of red. "Are you sure you're not gay?"

Yumichika spun around. "Positive!"

"Not even with Ikkaku?"

His face turned even redder. "Never! That's sick!"

"But you're blushing…"

"Am NOT! I'm red with rage!" He sank his fist deep into his open palm. "Ohhh! When I get my hands on that Ikkaku, I'm gonna..!" He stormed down the hall seething with rage.

Hitsugaya blinked and watched Yumichika disappear down the hall. He didn't think much of it at all. He didn't even realize that he had done anything wrong. His eyes fluttered with heaviness. It was too much work to keep them open any longer. He closed his eyes and continued his march down the hall.

~*~*~

Rangiku hurried down the hall when she spotted Yumichika stomping in the opposite direction. She could hear him muttering curses under his breath as he went, wringing his knuckles.

"Ohh… When I get my hands on him, he'll be lucky if he has any bones left..! That jealous little… I swear, if he thinks he can get away with this..!"

Rangiku stopped and watched him. "Uh, Yumichika..?"

"Pansy? Me? Really! Of all the..! He has the nerve to make fun of my hair? Oh, I'm sure he did! At least I have hair to comb! I'm sure he waxes his head, the little..! I'll kill him! Some friend he is! A prissy? I'll show him! Why, I oughta..!"

Rangiku watched him turn the corner and vanish from view. He didn't even see her there he was so angry! What could have caused..?

"Could it be..? Hitsugaya?" She hurried down the hall Yumichika came from. He must be down here somewhere.

~*~*~

Hitsugaya wondered down hallway after hallway, but everything was so hot! He had to find something to cool himself down with before he melted! Maybe down here…

He opened one door after another with no such luck. Why was everything so hot?! He went downstairs and started opening the doors he found down there.

No. Nope. No. No. N- Wait.

He opened the door and stuck his head inside. It was refreshingly cool in this room. Wow, it felt good.

"Ah..! Cold!" he sighed blissfully and hurried inside. This room was perfect!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

What room is he in? Read and find out and don't forget to review!


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:**

"Momo! Momo, wake up!" Rangiku shook the Soul Reaper awake. "Please, I need your help. I can't find Hitsugaya anywhere!"

Momo shot up in bed. "What?! I thought you said that you had a trap set for him!"

"I did. I strung a wire across the hall to stop him."

"Did he step over it?"

"No. Why does everyone think that's gonna happen? No, I made sure that the wire was knee's length off the ground so he couldn't step over it. He tripped over it, but it didn't stop him. He's gone!"

Momo threw off the covers and followed Rangiku into the hall. They had no idea where to start. He could be anywhere at this hour! They both hurried down the hall and down a few staircases. There was no sign of him anywhere. Where could he be?

They stopped in the middle of another hallway to catch their breath and come up with a plan.

"Maybe we should search separately? You go one way and I'll go another?"

"Maybe… But what if we skip over him some how? Or if he doesn't listen to us? He can be very stubborn when he wants to be. And besides, he's not easily woken up and sometimes he can't even hear us when we're talking to him. It may take both of us to do anything."

"But we're running out of time. We've gotta find him and bring him back to his room. We need to split up."

"Yes, but…" Momo paused and rubbed her arm. "Is it just me or does it feel like it just got colder all of a sudden?"

Rangiku froze in place, trying to see if there was a drop in temperature. There was! There was a slight breeze of cold air coming from behind them. They turned around. There was a door slightly ajar behind them, cool air wafting out.

On a hunch, they pushed the door open and stuck their heads inside.

The room was dark and surprisingly cool. On the other side of the room was a bed. Asleep inside was a long white-haired captain they both recognized.

"This is Captain Ukitake's room!" Momo hissed.

"Shh! Don't wake him up!"

"Actually, he's a pretty sound sleeper."

"Don't jinx it!"

The room was indeed fairly cold. It seemed that both Kiyone and Sentaro had gone through great lengths to make sure that their captain's room was as comfortable as it could be. The source of the cool air filling the room was still a mystery to them, but they had other things to worry about now. If the door was open, then Hitsugaya must have at least been in here not too long ago. Right?

The bed sheets started to move, though Ukitake remained motionless. A head of white hair poked out from under the covers and looked this way and that.

"Little Shiro!"

He paid her no heed and proceed to crawl up to Ukitake's upper half. He came to rest at Ukitake's chest and observed his surroundings. This room was nice and cool. He placed a hand on Ukitake's chest. It was warm, but also fairly cool. This bed was very comfortable and this person was like a teddy bear to him. Hitsugaya laid down on Ukitake's chest.

Momo let out a frustrated sigh. "Great..!"

Rangiku looked at her. "But at least he's asleep. Now all we have to do is get him back to his room before anyone notices or before either of them wake up.

Ukitake gave a soft moan and shifted in his sleep.

The girls froze.

He stretched and draped his arm over Hitsugaya's back pinning him in place.

"Great…"

Hitsugaya snuggle into Ukitake's chest.

"Aw..! That's so cute!" Rangiku whispered.

"Yeah, I know…" Momo smiled fondly at the picture before them. But then she remembered… "We still have to get him out of here."

"Uh... Right..."

They moved slowly into the room, crawling on their hands and knees.

"Captain..!" Rangiku hissed in the dark.

"Shh! What are you doing?"

"Getting him out of bed and back to his room."

"I thought we were carrying him back there."

"Is that what we're doing?"

Hitsugaya yawned and his eyes fluttered open.

Their eyes went wide and they held their breath.

But he wasn't awake. Not fully, at least. His eyes were still foggy with sleep and he paid no mind at all to the drool running down his face. Hitsugaya looked down at Ukitake's bare chest and smiled. He ran his fingers up and down the older man's abs.

Ukitake twitched. He began to mumble something and his chest gave small, sharp lurches.

Still, Hitsugaya stroked him gently, spidering his fingertips up and down.

Ukitake chuckled softly. "… St- stop it..!" he mumbled sleepily. "That tickles..!"

Hitsugaya's smile deepened. He hugged Ukitake and rubbed his face against his chest. "… I love you…"

Rangiku and Momo's jaws dropped. Was he still..? Yes, of course he was still asleep. But then… Who was he dreaming about?

He yawned again. "… I really do care about you… Even if I… Don't… Always show it…"

Ukitake scratched an itch on his neck and snored. He still didn't wake up. Yet...

"… This is such a nice date… I've never been on one before…"

Ukitake drew his other arm up and rubbed Hitsugaya's back. It was unclear why he was doing that, but it seemed that he was dreaming, too. Either that or he was curious as to what was laying on top of him like this. Fate willing, he wouldn't wake up to find the smaller captain on top of his chest.

The girls watched and waited.

Hitsugaya snuggled into Ukitake's chest again and hugged him close sighing blissfully. "I love you, too… Always did… Ever since we first met…" He giggled in his sleep. "… You're so cute..!"

Momo nudged Rangiku. "Come on. Let's move."

She shook her head. "No way! This is good!" She continued to watched Hitsugaya's sleep-spurred love confession with a huge smile on her face. This was very entertaining.

Momo gave her arm another tug. "Come on! Before they wake up…"

Ukitake continued snoring while Hitsugaya kept confessing. He rose up and leaned close to Ukitake's face. He gave a dreamy smile and looked into Ukitake's face through half-lidded, foggy eyes. "… I… love… you…" He puckered his lips and moved in.

"NO!" Momo shrieked and threw herself forward, covering Hitsugaya's mouth with her hand, preventing the inevitable kiss. "I can't let you do that, Little Shiro! You have no idea what you're doing! You're still sleepwalking!"

"Aw!" Rangiku whined. "Just when it was getting good, too!"

Ukitake stirred and his eyes opened. "Huh? Wha..?"

Momo and Rangiku hit the floor after shoving Hitsugaya back under the covers and out of sight.

Ukitake blinked and glanced around the room. Everything was blurry and dark. Still comfortable and very drowsy, he shrugged off the disturbance and went back to sleep. Good thing he could sleep through almost anything… and fall asleep rather quickly. He was out like a light in a second.

The girls got up from the floor and studied both captains. Both were sleeping soundly. They let out sighs of relief and nodded to each other. It was time to take Hitsugaya back to his room. They pulled the covers off Hitsugaya and tried to get him up.

No good. Ukitake still had his arm around his torso, and had a very solid grip on him, too. Momo peeled back his arm while Rangiku set to work freeing Hitsugaya from his comfortable position atop the captain's body. He didn't struggle. Once Rangiku had a hold of him, she cradled him in her arms and motioned for Momo to come. She nodded, placing Ukitake's arm back down on his chest and covered him up before leaving the room.

They walked back down the hall toward Hitsugaya's room in silence. Hitsugaya gave another yawn and rubbed his face against Rangiku's chest.

"Aw..! Isn't that cute?"

Momo smiled. "Yeah, he is." She patted his head and Hitsugaya gave a soft smile.

"So who do you think he was confessing his love to in his sleep?"

Momo shrugged. "Beats me…"


	9. Chapter 9

Yeah, I know the last one was kinda freaky, but I had to do it ^-^ Enjoy this one! I hope it's not as... scary... o.o'

**Chapter 9:**

Hitsugaya peeled himself off the sweaty bed with a groan. Just how long was this heat wave going to last? Surely it would be over by now, but it wasn't. It was still so terribly hot! He got dressed in his black kimono and captain's jacket and left the room.

As he made his way down the hall, someone stopped him.

"Captain Hitsugaya…" Unohana held up a tray of watermelon. "Would you like-?"

"Yes! Thank you!" He snatched up the biggest slice he saw and shoved it in his mouth.

Unohana smiled her ever patient, polite smile and giggled softly. "I thought so. I couldn't finish all this so I figured that some other overheated Soul Reapers would like some."

Hitsugaya finished off the rest of the watermelon and placed the leftover rind on the tray. As he did so, a raucous broke out behind him. The next thing he saw were hands and black kimonos.

"Watermelon!"

"Outta the way!"

"I want some!"

"Save some for me!"

"Move!"

"Mine! Mine!"

"Gimme that!"

"Oh, thank God! I need this so bad!"

"Perfect for today..!"

"Finally!"

The horde of Soul Reapers dispersed with watermelon in hand, thanking Unohana for the cool snack.

She smiled and lowered the tray to Hitsugaya's level. "Would you like another?"

He looked at the remaining two on the tray. "I shouldn't. I already had one."

"Nonsense. I understand that you like this type of food and with it being so hot and all… Please, I insist."

He looked at the tantalizing pieces of fruit soaking the tray with cool juice and was won over. But as he reached for a second slice, someone else had beaten him to it and pushed him into the wall.

"Oh, God, do I need this!" Kira grabbed the very slice Hitsugaya had been reaching for and took a huge bite. "Mmm! Oh, that hits the spot."

"Kira!"

He turned and saw Hitsugaya glaring at him. "What?"

"I was reaching for that!"

Kira frowned. He was in a very bad mood. "You weren't quick enough. Besides, I'm melting here! I'm gonna die!"

Hitsugaya clenched his fists. "Got that right!"

"Gentlemen…" Unohana called softly. "Let's not fight so carelessly. It's hot and that could make tempers flare. Let's try to calm down before an unnecessary confrontation starts. Kira, you can have that piece but in the future be more courteous. He was reaching for it. Captain, there is still one slice remaining. You may have this one. Alright?"

They both nodded.

"Sorry, Captain…" Kira said softly and walked away with the watermelon in hand.

Hitsugaya took the last slice off the tray and ate it. Unohana was right. With the temperature being so high, no wonder everyone had a temper and in a bad mood. Rudeness was to be expected. As he made his way down the hall, something else grabbed his attention. A small group of Soul Reapers standing not too far away from where he was.

"Good morning Captain Ukitake. How did you sleep?"

"Fairly comfortably, actually. Thank you."

Kiyone grinned. "See? Don't you like how cool your room was?"

"Yes, thank you."

Sentaro jumped up. "That was a great idea I had, wasn't it?"

"It wasn't your idea! It was mine!" Kiyone snapped.

"Was not! I mentioned it first!"

"Yes, but I did it!"

"Only after I suggested it! So in other words, you stole my idea!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

The two began to wrestle with each other on the floor, arguing over who did what.

But Shiba seemed to notice something that the others didn't in Ukitake's face. "Captain, is everything alright?"

"Huh? Oh, yes, of course. It's nothing."

"Captain, you seem to be holding something back. What is it?"

Ukitake sighed. Caught. "Well… it's really nothing. But I did wake up in the middle of the night last night."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "I'm not sure. Something woke me up, but I don't know what it was. I went back to sleep right after." He looked at the floor absentmindedly. Something did happen, but… "I also had a very strange dream last night."

"Sir?"

Ukitake was silent before forcing a smile and giving a dismissive wave of his hand. "Oh… It's nothing. Just a very strange dream. I'm not even sure if I remember it all."

"What was it about?"

He shrugged again. "I'm not even sure… I can't remember much of it at all, really. I just remember being tickled and being embraced by something…"

"Embraced, sir?"

"See? I told you it was strange. I don't know what it was about or anything, but… Ah, never mind. It was just a very strange dream. It doesn't matter."

"Maybe it was a dream about a giant teddy bear tickling you. Teddy bears are known for cuddling."

Ukitake chuckled. "Yeah, that would be strange, huh?"

Hitsugaya continued down the hall towards his office. _Ukitake is a strange guy… Why is he broadcasting his personal business to everyone? Shouldn't he keep those things to himself?_

Just as he was about to enter the office, he heard yet another disturbance down the hall, growing louder as it moved towards him. _For God's sake, now what?_

"I can't believe you called me that!"

"I did not!"

"Yes, you did!"

"Can't we just drop it?!"

"You think I'm gay?!"

"I didn't say that!"

"Not in those exact words, but you did!"

"I did not!"

"You said I was a pansy! A prissy!"

"Come on..!"

"You did!"

"You're way too sensitive! I didn't mean anything by it!"

"Yeah, you did, or you wouldn't've said it!"

"Let go of me!"

"Don't you walk away from me!"

"I'm not! I'm running away from you!"

"Well, stop!"

"You first!"

The two rounded a corner and barreled down the hall, forehead to forehead. Yumichika and Ikkaku each had a hold of the other's kimono in their fists to ensure that the other wasn't going anywhere. They stomped right up to Hitsugaya, pinning him to the wall.

"Why the HELL did you TELL him that?!"

"Wh- wha..?"

"Why did you go and tell Yumichika what I said? I told you not to tell him!"

"But- Wait a minute. I didn't-"

"Jeez man! I thought I could trust you!"

"But I-"

"Now he's mad at me and won't leave me alone! This is all your fault! If you hadn't told him-"

"Now wait just a minute!" Hitsugaya snapped. He pushed Ikkaku's hand away and pulled away from the wall. "Don't you pin this on me! You're the one who said that stuff in the first place!"

"Yeah, and I told you not to tell him what I said!"

"If you've got something to say about your friend it should be something that you could say to them yourself! Don't go behind someone's back and insult them to someone else! That's gossip! If you've got something to say, then say it to him and kindly leave me out of it!"

"But I told you and not him because I didn't want to hurt his feelings!"

Yumichika loosened his grip on Ikkaku's kimono. "You… You didn't want to hurt my feelings?"

Ikkaku bit his lip and looked away. "Oh, don't start…"

"Start what? What do you mean?"

"I mean don't start with the feelings. I hate that crap!"

"Then why did you say that you didn't want to hurt my feelings?"

"Because I didn't want this! I knew this would happen if I told you!" He looked away again, avoiding his eyes. "… And because you're… my frimm..!"

"What was that?"

"I said you're my friend, ok?! Happy? I said it!"

Yumichika released his hold on Ikkaku. "Aw, that's sweet."

"Don't say that!" Ikkaku snarled. "I know how sensitive you are so I didn't want you to hear… I knew it'd start something!"

Yumichika just smiled at him. "You have feelings..!" he teased.

"Oh, don't start!"

Hitsugaya pushed passed them and entered his office. What were they talking about? He never spoke to Yumichika about what Ikkaku had said. He stopped in his tracks. There, sleeping on the couch, was Rangiku. "What are you doing here?"

She slowly sat up. "Nothing. Just taking a nap."

"Why here?"

"Because I couldn't sleep!"

"Because of the heat?"

She looked away. "Yeah. That's it…" She didn't bother telling him that it was because of his midnight rendezvous that were keeping her up all night. That would just cause trouble.

~*~*~

Once he had finished his paperwork, Hitsugaya decided to spend the remainder of his evening in the kitchen to have some dinner. Him and about every other Soul Reaper in the Soul Society! The majority of male Soul Reapers were taking up residence in the kitchen that evening. They had to. All the women had gone to the baths to cool off causing a large road block in the hall with everyone trying to get in at once. Looked like the men had no other place to go in order to cool off. He squeezed inside and sat down at the table with a large cup of shaved ice.

The door opened up again and in came Ikkaku and Yumichika.

"Is there anything cool to eat in here?" Ikkaku shouted.

A Soul Reaper threw a bowl to him. "Help yourself from the icebox. By the way, ran out of ice cream so don't bother asking."

"Damn!" Ikkaku reached into the icebox and scrapped some ice off the back of the freezer and into the bowl. "I'll just have to deal with this."

Yumichika raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. It seemed that the two had finally made up. He reached inside the icebox and pulled out a bag of ice and pressed it to his face. "Ohh..! That feels _sooo _good..!"

The door opened once again. Everyone turned as Byakuya entered the room. Calls of 'hello, captain' filled the room. He nodded to several men and moved towards the icebox. He pulled out a large bag of ice and held it to his neck. He gave a very soft groan of pleasure and allowed the ice to melt and run down his chest.

"Hot, ain't it?" Ikkaku asked in that smart-alecky tone of voice.

Byakuya didn't dignify that with a response. Instead he just glared at him.

Another Soul Reaper glanced at him and asked, "How can you stand having long hair like that in this heat?"

Byakuya looked at him crossly.

"I didn't mean anything by it. I was just saying…" He scratched his head. He had to choose his words carefully. "Don't you ever tie it back? It'd be cooler."

Byakuya narrowed his eyes and left the room with the ice bag still in his arms.

The man slumped. "I didn't say anything wrong, did I?"

His friend punched his arm. "Nah, that's just how he is."

"Come to think of it…" said another,"… I've never seen him tie his hair back."

Hitsugaya finished off his shaved ice and asked for someone to get him seconds.

Ikkaku stuck his head inside the freezer and bashed his head on the ceiling. "Ow! Man, I wish I could fit in here. It's be so much cooler." He glanced over his shoulder. "Hey, maybe you can fit, Hitsugaya. You're small enough."

He snorted. "Like I'd ever crawl inside one of those things!"


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10:**

Rangiku had set another trap for Hitsugaya that night. She had tied a bunch of cans to strings and tied them around the archway to his bedroom. The noise would wake her up and the strings would stop him from leaving his room until she could get there. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Sure enough, Hitsugaya started sleepwalking shortly after 2:00 that night. He opened the door and stopped. There was something in his way. He looked up and down at the obstruction. Strings and cans everywhere. But his sleep-clouded mind couldn't see the cans and strings. Instead, he saw a giant web covered with spiders. He backed away slowly. He wasn't afraid of spiders, but those things were huge! He looked around for something to use. Where was that sword of his? He looked back at the door. There was a tiny space underneath the giant web just large enough for him to crawl under.

And that's just what he did. He got down on his hands and knees and crawled under the obstruction. He continued to crawl down the hall until he got to the stairs. He stood up and walked down the staircase.

Back in her room, Rangiku woke with a start. It was too quiet. Was he going to sleepwalk or not? She got out of bed to investigate. When she got there, she found the trap still in place, but the door was wide open.

"How could he beat the trap?! That was genius work!"

She ran down the hall and searched for him. It actually didn't take as long this time. She knew she was in the right place when she passed by an open door. She crept inside.

She knew this room. It was a captain's bedroom. There, asleep in the bed, was Captain Byakuya. He was sleeping with his back to her, covers tangled around his legs, bare chest exposed. And there sitting on the floor next to the bed was the sleepwalking Hitsugaya… braiding his long dark hair.

_Captain… Since when could you braid hair? How'd he learn to do that?_

She lowered herself to the floor and crawled over to him. Byakuya wasn't as deep a sleeper as Ukitake. If Hitsugaya pulled his hair or made any loud noise at all, he would wake up... _very_ unhappy. She had to get him out of here fast.

But the braiding didn't seem to be bothering Byakuya at all. If anything, it seemed to be soothing him. After all, when did he ever allow anyone to braid his hair, much less touch it? He snored softly as the younger captain continued his work.

Rangiku tapped Hitsugaya on the shoulder. "Psst! Captain..!" she hissed as softly as she could. "Psst!"

"Hm?" Hitsugaya turned. His eyes were only half open and cloudy.

She had to be careful. If she picked him up or grabbed him while he still had a hold of the other's hair, it could end up being pulled and waking Byakuya. She had to coax him away. "Come here, Captain. Please, come."

He turned back around and went back to braiding hair. He wasn't ready to leave yet.

Rangiku tapped him again. "Please! Let's go!" she hissed.

Byakuya snorted and shifted position. He didn't wake up. That was close…

Without a word, Rangiku pulled Hitsugaya's arm. He pulled away.

"Please, Captain..!" She pulled him to his feet. "We have to go."

He swayed slightly and yawned. "Don't wanna..!"

"Please! Quickly!" She ushered him towards the door, but he resisted.

"No..!" he whined.

"Shh! You'll wake him up!"

Luck was not on her side tonight. Byakuya's eyes snapped open and he bolted upright in bed. Rangiku shoved Hitsugaya behind her back just as his eyes came to fall upon her. "What are you doing in here?" he demanded.

"Uh… uh…" Thinking fast Rangiku came up with what she felt was a _good_ idea. She began to wave her arms through the air and wiggled her hips. "Whooo! Whoosh! This is a dream..! Whoosh! Just a dreeeeeeam..!"

His normal pokerfaced expression twisted into a scowl coupled with an annoyed glare. He was not impressed. "Stop that!"

Her arms fell back to her sides and she avoided his gaze. Well, _that_ certainly was embarrassing. So much for a _good_ idea… "… Sorry…"

He growled at her and asked sternly, "Just what are you doing in here in the middle of the night? In my room of all places…"

"Uh…" Now would be a great time for a good idea! "Uh… I… I- I lost something and I'm trying to find it."

"Your sanity?"

"Very funny. No, it's personal. And I- I need to find it."

"And you're in my room because..?"

"I thought it couldn't hurt to look for it here."

"In my bedroom?"

She nodded.

"So… You thought you had lost something… in my bedroom… and are looking for it at this hour… In _my_ bedroom?"

"Well, when you're desperate, you tend to look in strange places, right?"

He raised a brow and gave a slight shrug of his shoulder. "I suppose…"

She glanced over her shoulder to check on her captain. But he wasn't there. She gasped and looked around the room. He wasn't here anymore. He must have escaped through the open door. "Well, I guess it's not here! I'll look else where. Bye!" She ran from the room and slammed the door shut behind herself. Now where'd he go?!

He didn't get far at all. Rangiku discovered him down the next hallway. "Captain?"

He seemed to be throwing something through the air. He kept tossing something across the hall from an invisible bucket under his arm.

Rangiku walked up next to him. "What are you doing?"

"Feeding the birds…" he mumbled groggily.

She grinned. "How sweet of you…" She took his hand. "Come on. Follow me." She led him back down the hall and into his room. She sat him down on the bed and tried to make him lay down. He refused. "Please, Captain. Don't make this hard. I have enough work as it is."

"Like the paperwork you're hiding under the couch in my office?"

She stopped. "H- How did you know about that?"

"I found them there the other day."

She looked away and back again. "What else are you aware of?"

Hitsugaya yawned and blinked slowly at her. "That you're hiding sake bottles behind the bookcase and under your desk."

"There are no bottles under my desk."

"I got rid of them a week ago without telling you…"

She blinked. "You what?!"

He nodded. "Yeah… I did it when you weren't around and kept it a secret from you."

_Man! Who would have thought that he could be so underhanded? And then he goes and admits it like that? He would never confess anything so easily like that. He's so completely honest… when he sleepwalks! That's it! That's why he's telling the truth and all the other stuff he's said, like with Yumichika. He can't lie! That must be it. When he's sleepwalking he's completely honest and tells the truth. This is great news!_

With this new information, she went straight to work interrogating him. "So, Captain… can you answer me something?"

He nodded sleepily.

"How do you feel about me?" She flipped her hair back and got ready to be showered with complements.

"I find you very annoying and a little scatterbrained."

She flinched. Well, that was unexpected.

"I also think you're lazy and kinda ditsy."

She sat back and pouted. This wasn't what she figured it would be at all. And here she thought that he'd call her beautuful! This whole sleepwalking thing was turning out to be more trouble than it was worth.

"… But I also like you quite a bit."

Her eyes lit up. "R- really?"

He nodded. "I don't mind having you around that much. I think you're a very nice person and a good friend and you are very pretty. I also think you're strong and you can be kinda smart when you want to be. I care about you a lot."

She smiled. "Ohh, Captain..! But why don't you ever tell me this stuff to my face?"

He snored and shrugged a little. "… I'm not sure… I guess it's 'cause it's embarrassing for me to admit that." A yawn interrupted him. "… I'm also afraid that if I tell you this, you'll never leave my side and constantly hug me."

"Don't you like being hugged?"

"… Kind of… It's still embarrassing, but it also makes me feel kinda good…"

Rangiku sat back and smiled. This was great! So these were his true feelings. How sweet and cute! So he really did care about her after all. He liked her.

Liked..? That was it!The dream he had the other night with Ukitake...

She had a new question for him now. "Are you in love with someone?"

He snored.

"Captain?"

"Hm?"

"Are you in love with someone?"

He didn't answer right away. He seemed to be unsure. "… in love… how..?"

"In love. Like, um.. When you want to marry that person kind of in love. Understand?'

He nodded.

"Do you feel that way about someone? Do you have a crush?"

He nodded.

She clapped her hands together. "Oh, I knew it! Who's the girl? It is a girl, right?"

He nodded.

"Is it a Soul Reaper?"

He nodded again.

She gasped. "Who is it? Who?!"

Hitsugaya snored and slumped in his seat.

She shook him. "Captain?'

"Hm?"

"Please, tell me? Who's the girl you have a crush on?"

He mumbled something, but she couldn't make it out.

"What was that?"

It was no use. He wouldn't answer. Now the only thing coming out of his mouth was drool and snores.

Desperate for answers, she picked up a pen and some paper. "Can you write it down for me?"

He nodded and took the pen from her. He started to write, but they weren't words, just scribbles.

"Captain, what's the first letter of her name?"

He lifted the pen and drew one letter on the page.

'M'.

Rangiku bounced in place. This narrowed it down! Now for the next letter. "Ok, now what's the second letter?"

He didn't move. His eyes were closed and his head was bobbing.

_No! He can't go back to sleep yet! I have to find out the girl's name!_ She shoved the paper closer to his body. "Come on, Captain! Please don't do this yet." She forced him to clutch the pen tighter in his hand. His grip was slack. "Come on, come on..! Not yet!"

Hitsugaya gave a drowsy moan and his eyelids fluttered. "Mmm..! Hm…"

"Good! Now stay with me here." Rangiku supported the paper and pen in his hands. She had to find out that name! "Quick! What's her name? Write it down."

He drooled on the paper. He was totally out of it. It looked like his sleepwalking night was drawing to a close. He snored softly.

"No, no! You can't sleep yet." She clutched the pen tightly in his hand. He twitched. "Please… What's the next letter of her name? Come on. Write it down right here. Go on, write it down."

Mumbling groggily, he did as he was told. He lifted the pen and brought it down on the paper. He began to draw in a circular motion.

Rangiku held her breath. What was that? A 'c'? An 'a'? An 'o'? What?!

Just as he was about to finish the second letter, the door to his room swung open. There in the doorway stood Momo. "What are you doing exploiting him like this?!"

Rangiku jumped and fell to the floor in surprise. "Wh- what are you doing here?! I thought you were in bed!"

"I was," she explained. "I came out here because I knew he'd sleepwalk again and wanted to watch him tonight while you got some rest. Imagine my surprise when I find you in here trying to reveal all of Little Shiro's secrets!"

"Not all of them! Just the identity of his crush!"

She gasped. "That's private! If he wanted anyone to know about that, he would've told us!"

"Well, he is now! It's great! He can't lie and he keeps spilling out the truth!"

"You can't!"

Neither of the girls realized just how loud they were being. At least, not until Hitsugaya dropped the pen and paper on the floor, gaining their attention. His head snapped up and his eyes were wide and full of life, rather than the foggy, unfocused look they had while he was sleepwalking. He was awake!

"Huh? Wha..?!"

Momo bolted out the door and hid down the hall, leaving Rangiku to fend for herself. She knew what was coming next and wanted no part of it.

Rangiku sat on the floor and stared up at him on the bed.

He looked this way and that, and finally his eyes fell on Rangiku. His eyes narrowed in a horrible glare. "What are you doing in my room?!" he snapped.

"I- I- I w- was j- just..!" she stuttered, unable to think of anything else. Now what?

Hitsugaya jumped up from the bed and pointed out the door. "Out! Get out right now!"

"But- but I swear I wasn't doing anything!"

"Yeah, right! Where's the camera?" He jabbed out the door again. "OUT!"

She snatched up the paper and scrambled out the door. Hitsugaya slammed it shut behind her and started to rant and curse as he stomped around his room in anger.

Rangiku let out a sigh and calmly walked down the hall towards Momo waiting for her at the other end. "Oh! That's right…" She had almost forgotten. She pulled out the piece of paper and unfolded it in her hands.

"What's that?" Momo asked.

Rangiku stared at the paper. He never finished writing the second letter. At first it looked like a 'c', but it was too close to being a closed circle for it to be that. It must have been something else, but what? The only other letters she knew of that would make any sense at all would be an…

'O'.

Wait a minute. Momo's name started with an 'm' and the second letter was an 'o'!

Rangiku jumped up and down squealing with delight. She had figured it out! She broke the news to Momo and handed her the paper as proof. Momo took the paper and studied it closely.

"But… he couldn't mean me… could he?"

"Who else would it be?"

Momo hesitated. "Well… Your name also starts with an 'm'."

"Yeah, but only in Matsumoto, and the second letter of that isn't an 'o'."

"No, but it is an 'a'. What if he was writing a lowercase 'a' instead?"

Rangiku stopped bouncing. That was a good point… But really? Her and Hitsugaya as a couple? No way! She was too old for him. And besides, he always seemed to be much kinder and gentler to Momo than anyone else. It must have been her. It made perfect sense! It had to be Momo. It just had to!

… Right?


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11:**

These past few days had been some of the strangest he had ever suffered through. However, Hitsugaya did consider himself lucky after seeing how terribly the others were suffering. Byakuya had woken up to discover that his hair had been braided sometime during the night. He hadn't noticed this fact until Renji commented that it looked good on him. The entire Soul Society had also been awoken by Yoruichi's screams down the hall as she discovered that someone had cut her hair while she slept. Her ponytail was now an uneven mess and half its former length. Not only that, but someone had drawn all over Hisagi's face and connected his tattoos so they now read '88' in black marker. All of Rin's sweets had been replaced by salt-filled snacks instead of sugar, and that was only discovered _after_ the first big bite. Kenpachi had woken up that morning and kicked the door down in anger and demanded to know who had dared tie pink ribbons in his hair and doodle the word 'cutie' across his forehead. Naturally, no one moved. And as if that weren't enough, Yachiru and run down the hall screaming her little head off upon discovering that her cute head of pink hair had been dyed a horrible, sickly green. She ran crying into her captain's arms.

"Kenny!" she sobbed. "Look! Look at my hair!"

He glared at his squad. "Well? Who did this?"

No one spoke. They were too afraid. And besides, they didn't do it. They wouldn't dare.

"Ikkaku's the prankster."

"Uh, yeah! He must have done it!"

Kenpachi shook his head. "That man's an idiot, but he's no prankster. Not in this sense, at least."

Something was definitely going on. Perhaps a practical jokester was on the loose. Anything was possible. Hitsugaya tried to figure this out with his fellow Soul Reapers that morning. So far, they hadn't come up with any ideas. They had no leads to speak of.

Hitsugaya went back to his office just as Ikkaku made his way around the corner. He kept glancing over his shoulder as passing Soul Reapers giggled and snickering at him. He couldn't figure out what it was that they were laughing at.

"Yo, Hitsugaya…" he called. "Do I have anything on my face?"

He looked. "No."

Then Yumichika turned another corner and stopped once he got an eyeful of Ikkaku's back. His eyes widened. Then he bit down on his lip to stifle his giggles. Tears swelled up in his eyes as he started to belly-laugh.

Ikkaku spun around. "What the Hell's so funny?"

"N- not-thin'..!" Yumichika propped himself up against the wall clutching his ribs.

"What?!"

"Nothing! It's nothing!"

"It sure doesn't sound like nothing! What is it?"

Yumichika snickered and banged his fist against the wall.

"What?!"

"N- nothing! I swear!"

"What's so funny?!"

At that moment, Unohana walked up behind them and did a double-take. She stared at Ikkaku. "Oh, my..!" She started to giggle.

"What?!" Ikkaku was about ready to throw a tantrum. "For the love of God, tell me!"

Unohana pointed. "Someone seems to have drawn a teddy bear on the back of your head."

His jaw dropped. "What?!"

"And it's pretty cute, too."

Ikkaku turned his head as far as it would go to get a good look. Naturally, it didn't work. So what did he do? He started to spin in place, faster and faster, trying to look at the back of his bald head. This accomplished nothing other than sending Yumichika into hysterics. He fell to the floor and rolled around, punching the ground with his fists. Ikkaku looked ridiculous.

"Alright! Who's the wise guy?!"

Hitsugaya got a good look at the doodle. It was a very crudely drawn cartoon teddy bear. It looked like something a toddler would draw. "Pfft! How childish!"

Ikkaku stopped spinning, dizzy, and looked at him. "Did you do this?!"

"Of course not! What do you take me for?" Hitsugaya folded his arms. "Why would I ever do something as childish as that? Please! Just who do you think I am?"

Ikkaku sighed. "Yeah, I guess that's not your style…"

"Wah-hahahahaha!"

"For crying out loud, Yumichika! It's not that funny!"

"Not from where I'm standing!"

~*~*~

Rangiku was having just about the worst week of her life. Not only was she behind in her work, but she had been chasing a sleepwalking Hitsugaya around the Soul Society every night and thus fallen behind on her sleep. She was exhausted! Not only that, but she had also exhausted every attempt to get him to spill the true name of his crush. By the end of the day she had accomplished nothing except receiving a lifetime of death glares from her captain. But surely one last attempt wouldn't kill her…

She sat on the couch in his office and stared at him silently.

He glanced up. "What?"

"Nothing."

He looked back down and continued his writing. He looked up again a few minutes later. She was still looking at him. "What?!"

"Nothing!"

He continued to stare back at her.

"I was just wondering if…" She looked around the room. "… If you were going to give that flower to anyone?"

Hitsugaya looked at the single flower on the center of the coffee table. "Why?"

"I was just wondering…"

"Give it to who?"

She shrugged. "Oh, I don't know… A special someone… a girl, perhaps…"

He shot her a look. "Just what are you getting at?"

"Nothing!"

"Come on! You've been pestering me with these types of questions all day. Come to think of it, you did so yesterday, too. Now, what gives?"

"Nothing! I swear!"

He growled and went back to work, glaring the entire time.

Ok. So that wasn't going to work…

But this was no time to be thinking of that anyway. She had much more important things to worry about, like what was going to happen tonight. It was going to be another hot night and she knew that he was definitely going to sleepwalk again tonight. So now she had to figure out a plan to stop him from doing so. So far none of the traps she had set worked. So now what was she going to do? Strap him to his bed? No, that wouldn't work. He'd notice. And wouldn't the thick straps just make him even hotter? Lock his door? No, then he'd try to escape out the window and probably end up hurting himself. That was a bad idea. She had already tried putting sleeping drugs in his iced tea, but that only made him drowsy for the entire day. He still ended up sleepwalking that night anyway. Now that left her with one option: ask Momo to give her a break tonight.

~*~*~

And that's how Momo ended up sitting outside Hitsugaya's room that night. She hugged her knees close to her chest and waited. Before long, he emerged from the dark, hot room. He staggered a little, but managed to stay standing and walk down the hall. Momo stood up and followed him. He walked straight to the icebox and climbed inside. She sighed and waited for him to cool himself back to sleep so she could take him back to his room.

She waited for an hour before making her move. She gently lifted him up into a sitting position, turned around and carried him piggyback style out of the freezer. He was a lot heavier than he looked. Hitsugaya just snored and drooled on her shoulder.

A minute later, Hitsugaya lifted his head and looked around. Momo stopped.

"Little Shiro?"

He looked back down at her and smiled. Without a word, he suddenly hugged her and nuzzled her face with his head.

"Uh! Li- Little Shiro?!" She was taken aback by this strange action.

"Wanna play?"

"Huh?"

Hitsugaya struggled to get off her back. He hopped down with a big smile. "Wanna play with me?"

Momo got a better look at his face. His eyes were still foggy. Yup, he's still sleepwalking.

Hitsugaya grabbed her arm and pulled her down the hall. "Come on! Let's play!"

"Bu- but wait, Little Shiro!"

He suddenly slapped her arm. "Tag! You're it!" With that, he ran away giggling.

"Hey, wait a second!" Momo chased after him.

He happily skipped down the hall giggling. Momo finally caught up to him and grabbed his arm. "Aw!" he whined. "You win… No fair!"

"Time for bed, Little Shiro."

He pouted. "Ohh! No! Don't wanna!"

"You have to. Come with me."

He gave her a sad look. "Is… Momo… angry with me?" He sniffled. "Am I a bad boy?"

Momo's face softened. "Oh… No, no. You're not bad. No. I'm not mad at all."

"R- really?" He gave her the irresistible puppy eyes.

She smiled and patted his head. "Really."

He grinned and jumped into her arms, giving her a great big hug. "Yay! Momo's not mad with me!" He looked back up at her wearing the same playful, happy smile as before. "And is Momo going to stay with Little Shiro?"

She blinked. "What do you mean by that?"

"Momo's not gonna leave ever, right? We'll always be best friends forever, right? Momo will never hate Little Shiro, right? Right?"

Momo didn't know what to do at first. Was this something he always feared? Was this a look into his subconscious? Either way, he was so cute admitting how much he treasured their friendship. Heck, he was cute no matter how you looked at him.

She patted his head again. "Of course. I'll always be your friend and I'll never hate you."

He hugged her even tighter. "Yay! Little Shiro loves Momo!"

At first those words didn't register to her but then…

"Wha- What did you just say?"

"I just said that I love you, Momo." He smiled innocently at her. "I love Momo!"

The hall began to spin. She swayed and gawked at him. What did he just say? Did he really mean that or was he still dreaming? How could she know for sure?

He grabbed her hand and held it tightly in his and led her down the hall back the way they came.

Well, there's really no need to figure it out tonight. She held his hand a little tighter and walked by his side. He smiled at her and she smiled back.

Even if he was still dreaming, at least she knew that it was a good dream.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

AW! Cute, huh?


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12:**

The next day, Hitsugaya was more confused than ever. As if the strange happenings around the Soul Society weren't enough, now Momo was avoiding him at all costs. Every time they would see each other, she'd end up either running away or avoid eye contact. This was very confusing to everyone's favorite little captain. And to make matters even worse, now Rangiku was prying into his personal business. She kept asking him questions about it.

"I told you already, I don't know why she's so upset with me!"

Rangiku scratched her head. "Well… Maybe this is the kind of thing that comes with these kinds of relationships."

He gave her a strange look. "What exactly do you mean by 'relationships'? We're just friends."

Rangiku's face twisted into a wide, know-it-all smile and her voice raised in pitch. "Ooohh..! I think you know..!" she sang.

"Know what?!"

"Oooh..! You know..!"

"What?!"

She started to giggle and cupped her hands under her chin. "You know..! You're more than just friends…" She bent lower to whisper in his ear. "… aren't you?"

Hitsugaya grimaced. "What?! What in the world are you getting at?! We're old childhood friends! And nothing more than that!"

"Are you sure? You seem very close."

"Duh! What part of 'old childhood friends' do you not understand? Of course we're close. We've known each other for a very long time. There's no deep hidden meaning behind that at all!"

Rangiku checked his face for any signs of blushing. There was none. "So… This means..?"

"It means, stay out of my personal affairs and let me handle this myself!" He started to walk away.

"But you are close, right?"

He stomped his foot on the ground and turned. "Yes! Now will you leave it alone?!"

"But it's possible that you two could..?"

"No, there is not!"

"But… if you guys are close, then…"

"Then what? We're supposed to date each other?"

She nodded slowly.

"Ha! Why must girls do this?! Constantly pairing off friends like this… Can't they just leave it alone? Not everything has to be a romance! Jeez! You even talk to a girl once and you get paired off with her! God, girls make everything even harder!"

"Even me?"

"Huh?"

Rangiku gave him a pouty look. "Even me? Do I make everything harder for you?"

He groaned. "In a sense, yes."

She gasped dramatically. "Ah! But, Captain..! Just the other night you said that you liked me and didn't mind having me around!"

He gave her a quizzical look. "When did I ever say that?"

"When you were-" She stopped herself just in time. That's right! He was sleepwalking at the time. Of course he didn't remember. "It was… It was when you… uh, when you… It was a while ago."

"Must have been."

"But you do like having me around, right?"

"In a putting-up-with-you-because-I-have-no-choice kind of way, yes."

She whined like a small child.

He rolled his eyes. "Look, you're my lieutenant. I have no choice but to be forced into contact with you, so I guess I have to put up with having you around."

"But-"

"That doesn't mean I have to like it."

She frowned. "That's mean..!"

He grunted and walked into the hall. Upon doing so, he nearly bumped into Ikkaku who was holding a towel to his head. Hitsugaya raised a brow. "What's with that?"

Ikkaku's face was a mixture of hatred, fury, embarrassment, and extreme annoyance. "The marker..!" he hissed. "It just won't come off..!"

"Ha-ha!"

"Shut up, Yumichika!"

Rangiku was left alone in the room with her thoughts. Hitsugaya… _put up _with her? Because he had no choice? But that's not what he said the other night. That night he had said that he really did care about her even if he didn't always show it. But just now he said that they didn't have a deep relationship. Neither her nor Momo. But then why would he say that..? It hit her like a slap in the face. That was it! When he was asleep, he couldn't lie. He was so openly honest and straightforward when he was sleepwalking. But he was awake now! Which meant that he was lying! Hitsugaya was lying about his true feelings.

_Oh, wow, he's good! Had me fooled for a minute there_…

Then something else popped into her brain at that moment which made her jump in place.

_Oh! Oh, then if he was lying about that then..! Oh! OH! He could also be lying about having a crush on Momo! Oh, how cute! He's in denial. _Either that or all these feelings were subconscious and was unaware of them himself. Maybe he had no idea that way deep down inside he really did have a small crush on her. Even if it was a very, very teeny-tiny little crush. Perhaps he had convinced himself that it wasn't a crush, but rather a strong friendship. _How sweet! He didn't even know he was in love… Aw!_

~*~*~

With the paperwork still sitting on his desk and it being another extremely hot night out, Hitsugaya decided to stay behind and work late. Only one person had mixed feelings about this and that was Rangiku. On the one hand, if he was pulling an all-nighter, then he wouldn't sleepwalk that night. On the other hand, what would that do to him in the morning? Would he sleepwalk during the day? She had to pull her head together to figure this out. Maybe stress was also making him sleepwalk… If that were the case, then maybe all she had to do was make him more relaxed.

Hitsugaya sat at his desk and sipped some iced tea. Time to tackle the paperwork he was behind on. He lifted his pen and got started.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

He glanced up. Rangiku was wedging a rather large box into the room, forcing her to enter through the door sideways. She somehow managed to get it into the room and set it down on the coffee table.

"What is that?"

She barely looked at him. "Oh, nothing. Just a little something. Never mind."

He paid her no further attention and returned to his papers. He filed through a couple dozen and slapped them down on the finished pile. He inhaled and exhaled deeply. Wait a minute. What was that strange smell? He sniffed the air again. "Rangiku…"

"Hmm?"

"What are you doing?"

"Oh, nothing."

"What are you burning?"

She looked down at the items in her hand. "Just some incense. You know, to help me concentrate."

"On your paperwork, I hope."

"Uh-huh!" She set it safely down on the table. "It's aroma therapy. It's supposed to help stimulate the mind."

Hitsugaya frowned. "I don't think the scent of lavender is suppose to help you think. Isn't its property used mainly to relax a person?"

She shifted her eyes from side to side. "Helps you relax so you can concentrate."

He blinked. "I meant more along the lines of putting you to sleep kind of relaxing. Not meditation."

She looked away.

"Get rid of it."

She put out the flame.

_God, what's that woman trying to do?_ He went back to work. A few minutes later, he heard ticking. He glanced up. Now Rangiku was clicking a pen and swinging it rhythmically back and forth like a metronome. "What are you doing now?"

"Nothing."

"Well, stop it."

She lowered the pen down and out of sight.

Hitsugaya went back to work. This time, he didn't even get two minutes in before she started up again. He felt something soft and fuzzy touch his arm. He jumped away and looked down. "Now what?!"

Rangiku jumped back. "Nothing!"

"Then what's with the teddy bear?"

Rangiku looked down at the small fluffy toy in her hand. She had been trying to place it in his lap without being noticed. So much for that. Time for a lie. "It's… It's a stress doll!"

He didn't look impressed. Far from it. "Aren't those things supposed to be plastic?"

"This is a new model." She shoved it forward. "Try it."

"No, thanks."

"Please?"

"Get that thing away from me. I hate cute."

She put it away.

Now hopefully he can get some work done. Yeah, right! She was at it again in about two seconds. This time he felt her hands on his shoulders. He flinched and gripped the corner of the desk as his whole body stiffened. "What the Hell are you doing now?!"

She tightened her grip on his shoulders. "Just a small massage. You seem tense."

He winced as her nails dug into his spine. "Duh, I'm tense! Knock it off!"

"I'm just rubbing your shoulders."

In one swift movement, he jumped out of his chair and away from her. "I said stop it! Don't touch me! I don't like to be touched!Get away from me!"

"Coulda fooled me…"

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

He growled deep in his throat and sat back down, muttering under his breath. Just what had gotten into her lately? He worked for about another minute before he heard something. This something was something he never wanted to hear, yet he was hearing it now. He slowly raised his head to look at Rangiku… who was currently trying to sing a lullaby.

"Lullaby… And goodnight… Go to sleep Little Shiro..!" she sang to him.

His eye twitched.

"La! La la la-la-la-la-la-la la LA..!"

"GET OUT!"

She came to an abrupt stop at his sudden outburst. "Huh? But why?"

"Out! Get OUT!" He pointed out the door. "I'm never going to be able to get any work done with you around! You're annoying the HELL out of me! I would've been halfway done by now if it hadn't been for your constant pestering. Now get out!"

"But Little Shi- I- I mean Captain…"

"And don't call me Little Shiro! It's bad enough when Momo does it! Just get out of here and let me work, Matsumoto."

"But-"

"OUT!!" he bellowed and she scurried from the room. Hitsugaya jumped up and chased her into the hall and slammed the door shut. "Ugh! That woman! She just loves tormenting me, doesn't she? Spiking my tea when I'm not looking, giving me teddy bears like I'm some child... Ragh!" He stormed back to his desk and began to furiously sign the papers.

It looked like another all-nighter…


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13:**

Hitsugaya sat back in his chair and stifled a yawn. It was getting pretty late. How anyone could sleep in this heat was beyond him. You'd think that after nearly a whole week of this, it would cool down a little bit. He fanned himself with a file and read over his work. It was getting too hot for him. With Rangiku gone it just might be safe enough… He removed his captain's jacket and draped it over the back of his chair, leaving his black kimono on. There was no way he was going to disrobe completely, especially in his office. He even doubted that his room was completely safe with Rangiku around, spying on his every move.

He squinted at the paper in his hands. His vision was so blurry. He rubbed his eyes and tried to go back to work. It was too difficult. Now he was feeling tired. Yawning wildly, Hitsugaya looked around the empty room. It seemed safe enough. Maybe if he just rested his eyes for a minute…

He stretched and folded his arms on the desk, resting his head on them like a makeshift pillow. Within moments, he drifted off to sleep.

It was so warm here… Where was he? Hitsugaya opened his eyes and looked around. This room was so bright and colorful. It was so pretty. He sat up to take everything in. Of course he was still sitting at his desk in his office, but poor little Hitsugaya didn't realize it. To him, this was just a dream. He was lost in a world of his own where everything was so pleasant and peaceful. It was as if someone had dropped an invisible curtain down behind his eyes masking his surroundings and causing him to see everything around him differently. This was a dream and nothing more than that.

He stood up and walked around the room, exploring his surroundings. Everything was so colorful and happy. It made him feel wonderful. For once, it was safe for him to get in touch with his inner child. Sure, he had a childish side, but he chose to suppress it. Only in his dreams could he ever let it out safely without fear of embarrassment and other's judgment.

He bounced around the room and touched everything he could get his hands on. All the books, all the papers, the couch, the desk, the floor, everything. He reached up toward the ceiling, touching the invisible colors above him. It was so nice here. But as he played, he began to realize something: it was hot in here. Very hot. Too hot. He was roasting under his kimono. Why was he wearing it anyway in this summery world? He tugged at the fabric and slid the black kimono off this shoulders and onto the floor. This was much better. He was still wearing his white undershirt so his bare chest wasn't revealed. Yet.

It was still so hot. How was he suppose to cool down? Maybe ice could help? Ice… Ice cream… Now that sounded good! But where was he going to get ice cream? A freezer, perhaps. There was one right down the hall.

He hopped over to the door and pulled it open. The hallway was also decorated in vibrant colors just like the other room. Wow, this looked awesome! These colors made him feel so happy and lively. He skipped down the hall humming to himself as he made his way toward the kitchen.

~*~*~

Rangiku waited for him down the hall. That workaholic was so keen on staying up all night there was no need for her to stay up to wait for him to sleepwalk. After all, if you don't sleep, you can't sleepwalk. But she knew her captain. After a while, he'd pass out on top of his desk and start drooling all over his papers. If she stayed here long enough, maybe he'd come by this way. Then all she had to do was lure him back to bed. No wait, that wouldn't do. He was at his desk, not his bed. If he woke up in his room rather than in his office where he had collapsed, he'd suspect something. Besides, his room was far away. It wasn't anywhere near his office. Ok, so it wasn't _that _far away, but still… It wasn't close enough for her.

She heard a clatter from the room down the hall and jumped to her feet. There he was! She hurried to the kitchen.

There he was sitting in front of the open fridge eating a huge bowl of ice cream. The cupboards were wild open and there was a huge mess on the table. It seemed that Hitsugaya had gone through great lengths to make his ice cream perfect. The bowl was filled with ice cream covered in hot fudge, sprinkles, cherries, strawberries, bananas, nuts and whipped cream.

_I didn't even know we had that stuff…_ she thought to herself. She squatted down in front of him.

He shoveled more ice cream into his mouth with a big smile. "Mmm!"

She smiled. "Good, huh?"

"Mmm! Cold..!" His mouth was covered in chocolate and cream. He looked so cute.

Rangiku couldn't help but laugh softly at this. Tonight he was being pleasant and cheerful. He must have been having a good dream. She'd take him over the grouchy Hitsugaya any day. She grabbed a napkin and wiped his mouth and nose off once he was finished. He just smacked his lips and continued smiling. She tugged on his arm. "Come on. Let's get you back."

He turned his foggy eyes up at her.

She offered him her hand. "Come on. Follow me."

After a moment's hesitation, Hitsugaya took her hand and allowed her to lift him to his feet. She led him back into the hall and to his office. After several minutes, Rangiku started to hear something. It was a strange sound she had never heard before. She looked down.

Hitsugaya was singing.

She gasped quietly and her lips curved into a great big smile. How cute! He was singing!

It was soft and no louder than a whisper, but she heard him loud and clear. He was definitely singing. She couldn't tell what the song was or quite make out the words, but that didn't matter to her right now. She just wanted to savor this moment and listen to him sing. He may never do it again.

Slowly the song got softer as Hitsugaya grew more and more sluggish. He was ready for bed.

Once in the office, Rangiku made him comfortable on the couch, patting his head and rubbing his shoulder. He relaxed and shut his eyes. She got up when she heard him snore.

As she turned, she noticed someone standing in the doorway. It was Momo.

"How is he?" she whispered.

Rangiku looked back at him. "Fine. He's asleep."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Momo approached the couch quietly. She smiled. "He's cute when he's sleeping, huh?"

"Yeah…"

Hitsugaya snored softly and snuggled into a ball.

Momo looked at Rangiku. "He's been wondering why I've been staying away from him, hasn't he?"

"Yeah. What exactly happened the other night during your watch?"

She opened her mouth to speak but closed it again. Maybe it was best if she didn't know. She'd just end up making a big deal out of it. Especially after his little note a couple nights ago. She gave her head a shake. "Nothing. Never mind."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

They jumped when they heard movement behind them. Hitsugaya was stirring on the couch. Were they being too loud? His eyelids fluttered and he let out a sleepy moan. After a moment, he settled back down with a soft sigh and went back to sleep. He must have felt so peaceful at that moment. They could tell by the small smile on his face. But as he drifted back off to sleep, the smile slowly faded away.

Momo pulled Rangiku from the room to let him sleep in peace. Once safely in the hall, the two spoke softly to each other.

"So," Rangiku asked. "When's this gonna be over? When the heat goes away?"

She nodded. "That's usually how it works. Once he cools down, he stops sleepwalking. Until then, this will keep up."

Rangiku ruffled her long hair a little. "Ugh, I don't know how much more of this I can take! He's already keeping me up half the night… This heat wave should be over by now, right?"

"Hard to say…"

Rangiku nudged her. "Come on. Let's get some sleep."

"But…"

"Come on. It's ok. He's asleep right now. Thanks for checking up on him, by the way, but you didn't have to do that. I can handle it."

"But…"

"But what?"

"The night's not over yet. He can still sleepwalk, you know. What if he has another dream and starts acting it out again? Someone should-"

"Don't worry, Momo! He's asleep now. Nothing's going to happen."

"But-"

"Trust me. What could happen?"

"What if he-?"

"Hey, come on, Momo. There's nothing I can't handle." That cute little ball of white fluff… Just how dangerous could he be?

Suddenly, they heard noises coming from Hitsugaya's office. They hurried back inside to find Hitsugaya squirming around in his sleep. He was moaning and whimpering looking very distressed. Was he having some sort of nightmare? He kicked and thrashed about.

"Captain..?"

"Lit- Little Shiro?"

Giving one final jerk of his body, Hitsugaya's eyes flung open. He jumped off the couch and onto his feet in one fluid motion. He snarled and grabbed his sword from the desk. He unsheathed it and held it high above his head.

Frightened by this action, the girls backed away. Just what was he doing?

His foggy eyes fell on them and he growled viciously. "… Hollow..!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Yeah… I just had to cut it off there, didn't I? Don't worry! I'll update soon so we can see what happens.

Ahh! Nightmare of Hollows! Run!XD


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14:**

"He thinks we're what?!"

"He… he thinks we're Hollows…"

"Are you kidding me?!" Rangiku stomped her foot on the ground. "Do I look anything like a Hollow to you?!"

"Maybe not to me, but to him you must."

"How insulting!"

"I'm sure it's nothing personal. He's still dreaming, remember. He has no idea what's going on!"

Hitsugaya gave a roar and lunged at them. They dove out of the way just in time. He swung his sword at them once again coming within inches of Rangiku's chest.

"Captain, it's me! Rangiku! Don't you know me?"

He growled and swung his sword at her again.

She ducked and took a few steps back. "Why's he only attacking me?"

"Maybe he thinks _you're_ the Hollow?"

"What?! But why?"

"How should I know? It's his dream." Momo glanced up. "Duck!" She grabbed Rangiku and forced her to the ground just as Hitsugaya's blade sliced the air above her head.

He raised his sword again and brought it down. They rolled out of the way just as the blade came crashing down, slicing the carpet where they had been just moments ago. He turned to Rangiku and swung his sword again and again at her.

"Captain, please stop it! It's me! For crying out loud, you're dreaming! Wake up! Please stop!"

He either couldn't or wouldn't listen. He just kept on swinging. Thankfully, in this sleep-like state, Hitsugaya wasn't doing as well as he was normally capable of. If he had been performing to the best of his abilities, it was likely that Rangiku would have been cut up several times by down, if not dead. But he was coming very close to her body and nearly ended up cutting off a few locks of her long hair. All she could do right now was duck and weave out of the way of his swinging blade. She ran behind his desk, tossing the chair in his path to slow him down. That didn't work. He just jumped over it.

She turned to Momo who was hiding behind the couch. "Can't you do something?"

"Like what?"

"Calm him down!"

"How?"

"You tell me! You said that he's done this before!"

"Well, yeah, sleepwalking. But he's only had a fighting dream like this once before and that was before he became a Soul Reaper! I don't know how to stop him now!"

"How'd you stop him last time?!"

"He ended up settling down on his own. I didn't do anything."

"Well, now he's trying to KILL ME!"

"I know, but I- Duck!"

She ducked just as the sword came down on the arm of the couch and got stuck. Hitsugaya grunted as he tried to pull the sword out. Bringing his leg up onto the couch for better leverage, he managed to jerk the sword free and went after Rangiku again.

But she and Momo had fled the room while he was distracted and run down the hall. He clutched the sword tightly and went after them.

Halfway down the hall, Rangiku managed to catch her breath and turned to Momo. "Wait a minute. I thought that sleepwalkers were supposed to be slower than this. Aren't they supposed to have their arms out and shuffle around like zombies?"

Momo shook her head. "Not all the time. It depends on how vivid his dreams are and how deep a sleep he's in. Sometimes, yes. I've seen him shuffle around like that, but that's when he's… you know. I can't explain it." She gasped. "Oh! Wait a minute! We can't just leave him like that! We have to do something!"

"Are you kidding?! I'm not going back there!"

"But what if he-"

"Momo, it's like you said before. He has to be more relaxed, right?"

"Yeah…"

"So how do we do that?"

Momo thought. "Well… Uh, it's like I said before. If we can find a way to cool him down, he'll stop sleepwalking. Otherwise we wait for him to tire himself out and go back to sleep on his own."

"We don't have that kind of time in this situation! He's still trying to kill us and you say we shouldn't wake a sleepwalker, so what are we gonna do about this?!"

"We could-"

Suddenly there came a loud noise from behind. With a loud bang, Hitsugaya kicked the door off its hinges and sent it crashing into the opposite wall. He landed skillfully on the ground and started running.

"Hollow! I'll get you!"

Screaming her head off, Rangiku turned and bolted down the hall as fast as she could, dragging Momo behind. Hitsugaya chased after them, still swinging that sword of his.

"Get back here, Hollow!"

"I'm not a Hollow, Captain! Come on!"

She ran as fast as her legs could carry her and out the first door she saw. It led to a large porch. Of course she didn't stay there for long. She grabbed Momo in her arms and climbed onto the roof above them. Hitsugaya followed. He jumped onto the roof as well and bellowed the word 'Hollow' the second he saw Rangiku. He swung his sword and missed terribly. The girls took off running again.

"Can't you stop him?" Momo asked, out of breath.

"I would if I could!"

"No. I mean, can't you use your sword?"

She dodged another of her captain's blows. "No. I don't have my sword with me!"

Momo's eyes went wide. "Oh! That's right! And I left mine back in my room, too!"

Now they really were helpless. Without swords or any kind of defense, all they could do was run from him.

They jumped off the roof and onto another one. He followed. They jumped from that one and onto another. Still, he followed, never giving up the chase. They landed on top of another roof and stopped. This was the end of the line. Six stories up and nowhere to go, they turned around. Hitsugaya was standing right there holding that deadly blade.

"Little Shiro, please," Momo pleaded. "You're dreaming. You don't know what you're doing. It's us! Please stop this."

He just growled.

"Ohh..! I liked him a whole lot better when he was having cute dreams," Rangiku moaned. "So much better than this…"

Hitsugaya gripped his sword tightly and raised it above his head. "Reign over the frozen heavens…"

They gasped. "Run for it!"

"Hyorinmaru!" He swung the blade and out came his ice dragon. But this one was a little smaller than the usual one. His zanpakuto must have been much weaker when he was asleep. Though it was still dangerous and powerful, Hitsugaya was just mimicking the movements of the attack. There was no true power behind it at all. But he could still freeze them.

He brought his blade down and the dragon struck the ground in front of them, freezing the ground instantly. The ice dragon was gone in an instant, leaving behind a large three-foot thick bed of ice.

Having missed, Hitsugaya raised his sword again to finish off Rangiku, still convinced that she was a Hollow. He approached slowly walking past the ice on his left.

The girls turned away shutting their eyes in fear. Was he really going to freeze them just like that? Wouldn't he wake up soon? Was there a chance that they could be saved?

Rangiku felt a tug on her arm. Momo pointed. "Look."

She looked up.

Hitsugaya had stopped moving. He looked to his left… right at the bed of ice. He blinked. And blinked again. He dropped the sword with a clang and placed his hands up onto the frozen block of ice. It was cold. Ice cold. It felt good. Really good.

"…Cold..?"

He laid his hands flat on top of it. Then he pressed his face against the frozen surface. Boy, did that feel good on his hot, sweaty body. He finally found something cold. Something to cool him off at last. It felt great.

With a smile, he jumped up on the bed of ice and flattened his body against it. "Ah..! Cold! Mmm..! Cold…" He rested his head in his folded arms and closed his eyes. This bed of ice… yes, that's exactly what it was. A bed. A nice big bed of ice all for him. He stretched out over the ice and let out a long, deep contented sigh.

Cautiously, the girls approached. They leaned down over his body for a closer look. He was snoring with a huge smile on his face. He was in bliss.

Rangiku looked at Momo. Momo looked back.

She reached down and poked Hitsugaya's shoulder. "Um… Little Shiro..?"

He gave a sleepy moan and snuggled into his arms, refusing to get up. All he wanted to do now was sleep on his ice-bed.

Momo nudged him again.

He snorted and batted her hand away. He was out like a light. And not about to get up anytime soon.

They looked at each other.

"So that's it?"

Momo shrugged. "I… I guess so…"

"You mean, all we had to get him to do was make a bed of ice with his zanpakuto for him to sleep on and that's _it_?!"

"Well, he likes things cold. It makes sense if you think about it."

"He nearly killed me and now the problem's over?!"

Momo put a finger to her lips. "Shh! Don't wake him up!"

Rangiku covered her mouth and looked down at her captain. But he was still fast asleep on the ice snoring softly. He looked so comfortable and peaceful laying there like that. She had never seen him look so sweet and innocent before. That sleepy smile, those soft fluttering eyelashes, the soft snores escaping from those slightly parted lips of his. He looked so cute. He was like little white-haired angel.

Even if he did almost kill her, she just couldn't stay mad at him. Not when he looked so adorable.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15:**

"Good morning!" Hitsugaya greeted with a smile. He was in a very good mood that morning. This had been going on for the past couple of days ever since he had fallen asleep on that bed of ice he created with his zanpakuto. After sleeping on that all night long to cool off he had woken up in a very good mood the following mornings.

Just as the sun was about to rise, Rangiku and Momo both took Hitsugaya back to his office and tucked him in on the couch so he'd wake up in a familiar location and never know a thing. He was never disturbed during that time and when he woke up an hour later he felt refreshed and pleasant. It was as if nothing had happened. He never knew that he had been asleep on the roof half the night or had nearly killed his lieutenant. It seemed that the ice had froze out his temper as well. Or maybe it was just that he had slept comfortably for the first time in a week without being overheated. Either way it was good news for Rangiku and anyone else who had to get within ten feet of him on a daily basis.

He stepped into his office and sat down at his desk walking passed Rangiku on his way in.

"Good morning, Captain."

To her great pleasure, he smiled back in greeting. "Morning."

"Sleep well?"

"Oh, very well, thanks." He grabbed the first piece of paperwork and got started. "I'm not sure why it is, but I've had a much easier time sleeping lately. Not that I'm complaining or anything. It's great!"

Rangiku smiled back.

Now that they knew what worked to calm him down, she and Momo have had a much easier time getting him back to bed safely so that they could catch up on some sleep as well. All they had to do was convince him to use his zanpakuto to make himself a thin bed of ice that they could place over his mattress for him to sleep on. Thanks to the heat, the sheet of ice was melted by morning and Hitsugaya was none the wiser. He was convinced that all the water soaking his bed was just sweat due to the heat.

Speaking of heat, the heat wave was finally coming to an end. The temperature had gone down a lot and it was much cooler that morning. It was still hot, but it wasn't nearly as bad as before. Too bad. There were still a lot of things that Rangiku wanted to do to Hitsugaya. Or have him do, at least… The fun was over. She knew that he'd probably only sleepwalk for another night and that would be it until the next heat wave. How disappointing… On the plus side, though, she'd catch up on some much needed beauty sleep. She found no pleasure in waking up with split ends and bags under her eyes.

"Got it! Yes! Finally!"

They looked out the door into the hall. Ikkaku leaned up against the doorframe wearing a huge smile.

"I did it!" he cheered. "I got it off!" He turned around to show them his clean, shiny bald head. "See? Completely doodle-free! I finally got it off my head."

Yumichika patted Ikkaku's bald head. "Yeah, but you nearly got your head stuck in the sink. Now that was funny."

"Oh, shut up."

"No, really. It took so much soap and you needed my help to make sure you got it all. And when you stuck your head under the spigot and almost got stuck… That was great. Funny stuff."

"I did not get stuck!"

"You almost did."

"Did not!"

They continued their argument down the hall and out of sight.

Hitsugaya just rolled his eyes and went back to work.

~*~*~

"Mngh… Mungh!"

Rangiku awoke feeling someone shaking her shoulder and grunting. She opened her eyes and squinted in the dark. The clouds outside her window parted allowing the moonlight to shine through and illuminate her captain standing above her.

"C- Captain? What are you doing in here? You should be in bed," she said, propping herself up on her elbow. That's when she got a good look at him. He was wearing shorts, but nothing else. All she could see was his bare chest and small abs in her field of vision from this angle. Just what was he doing? Was he still asleep?

He was. His eyes were foggy and he was drooling. Sleepwalking again.

"Yes, Captain?"

Hitsugaya just stared back through half lidded eyes. When she called his name, he responded by giving her a hug.

"C- Captain..?"

He hugged her tighter. "Rangiku…"

Strange. He usually only called her that if she was in _real_ trouble or if he was being social somehow. And he certainly never hugged her! He _must_ have been sleepwalking. He snuggled up to her and rested his head on her breasts.

"I'm lonely… It's so dark and quiet… Can I stay here with you?"

"Say what?"

He hugged her again and looked up at her with big pathetic eyes. "Please?"

She sighed in defeat. How could she say 'no' to that? How could anyone?! She pulled back the thin white sheet and scooted over. "Alright. Here."

He climbed in next to her and put his head down on the pillow. She patted his head.

"Do you like it when I pat your head?"

He yawned. "Kinda…" He snuggled into the pillow. "No one ever really did it… except for Momo. She always… did it…"

"Did you like it?"

"Hmm?"

"Did you like it when she patted your head?"

He shut his eyes, facing her. He tucked his arms up close to his chest. "… I… I guess so…"

She rubbed his back. "Truthfully?"

He nodded sleepily.

She thought. If this was going to be his last night sleepwalking until the next heat wave, she may as well get some answers while she had the chance. "Captain?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you like her?"

"Who?"

"Momo."

He nodded. "Uh-huh. We're friends. Best friends…"

"I mean _like_ like her. Do you like her a lot?"

He yawned, drifting back off to sleep. "What do you mean?"

"Do you love her?" she asked. It was time for the truth from his lips and not from a notepad. "Do you have a crush on her?"

She watched him as his body relaxed fully and his face lost all the cresses and wrinkles from waking expressions. He was slipping away. His lips started to move again as he answered. "… I don't wanna marry her or anything like that… yet…"

'Yet'? That was promising. But it wasn't the answer she was looking for. She wanted a definite 'yes' or 'no'.

"But Captain… Do you have a crush on her?" She rubbed his back trying to get him to stay with her for just a little longer.

He smiled dreamily. "Mmm… That feels good…" he said through a sigh.

"Captain." She lowered herself until they were laying next to each other. "Please, Captain… Do you or don't you?"

His eyelids fluttered. "Mmm… Do I what..?"

"Do you have a crush on Momo or not?"

"… I don't know…" he mumbled softly, drifting off. "… Maybe…"

'Maybe'? 'Maybe' wasn't an answer. Was he really confused about his feelings? He was still young, but… Did he not know what true love felt like? Or was it that they were just really good friends who cared a lot for each other? Perhaps he just wasn't ready to make that kind of decision yet. Maybe he wasn't ready for that step.

She looked back down at him and heard him snore. He was gone. Sleep had taken him at last. She grinned and stroked his head, tangling her fingers up in his hair before going back to sleep with a white-haired teddy bear to snuggle with.

~*~*~

At last, the heat wave was over and done with. Hitsugaya had stopped sleepwalking and slept in his own bed without getting up. Now everything had returned to normal and the pranks had finally stopped. Everything was as it should be.

"Oh, my God! What the Hell is this?!" Gin screamed from the other side of the building. Someone had painted big, wide red eyes on his eyelids and bushy black eyebrows curving upward, making him look permanently surprised. And worst of all, it wasn't coming off!

Rangiku sipped her iced tea with a smug look on her face. What? Shouldn't she be allowed to take advantage of Hitsugaya's sleepwalking problem one last time to torment Gin a little? Besides, Hitsugaya wanted to color that night.

She swallowed and let out a satisfied sigh. She couldn't wait for the next heat wave.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

THE END!

How'd you like it? I hope it was good.

And by the way, I'm well aware of the fact that the captains all have their own space (building, bedroom, house, etc) but I decided to overlook that fact. I just thought it would be more fun this way. ^-^

Please review and thanks for reading! XD

I hope more Hitsugaya (or anyone, really) sleepwalking fanfics get out there so I'm not the only one. By all means, start typing.


End file.
